Place Names of South Australia - A

Augusta, Port

Augusta, Port

Buildings and Factories

Information on a proposed Bible Christian Church is in the Register,
6 February 1866, page 3a and
its opening in the Observer,
13 April 1867, page 4g.

Information on a courthouse is in the Register,
27 July 1867, page 2g,
20 August 1867, page 3g.

Its Boiling Down Works are described and discussed in the Register,
18 December 1867, page 2d,
3 January 1868, page 2g,
3 February 1868, page 3d and
4 March 1868, page 3b-f, Chronicle,
3 and 17 October 1868, pages 6g and 12e, Register,
25 December 1868, page 3b;
26 August 1869, page 2g,
7 January 1873, page 5b, Chronicle,
11 January 1873, page 6g.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Farming - Boiling Down.

Information on a proposed freezing and boiling-dowm works is in the Observer,
3 February 1894, page 45a, Register,
4 May 1894, page 7d; also see Register,
8 and 13 August 1912, pages 9f and 10e, Observer,
5 December 1908, page 56a,
13 July 1912, page 54b,
3 and 24 August 1912, page 13c and 53a.

A meeting called to discuss a hospital is reported in the Register,
20 December 1867, page 3g.
A meeting to consider building a public hospital is in the Register,
12 March 1875, page 6d.
It is described on
6 December 1879, page 5a and
21 April 1888, page 6c,
15 January 1894, page 7a.
A patient's experiences are recounted in the Advertiser,
16 January 1893, page 3e.

The local gaol and inmates are described in the Register,
11 August 1871, page 5d; also see
6 December 1879, page 5a,
21 April 1888, page 6c.
"Prisoners Wanted" is in the Register,
23 July 1909, page 7c.

The laying of the foundation stone of the Institute is reported in the Register,
22 June 1875, page 6e.

The opening of Saint Augustine's Church is reported in the Chronicle,
1 July 1882, page 9a.m

The proposed Town Hall is discussed in the Register,
30 October 1885, page 5a,
17 April 1886, page 5e;
its opening is reported in the Chronicle,
21 May 1887, page 7f.

The laying of the foundation stone of the Catholic Church is reported in the Observer,
8 July 1882, page 33c.

A proposed smelting works is discussed in the Chronicle,
5 May 1888, page 19g, Observer,
19 and 26 August 1899, pages 44e and 41e,
30 September 1899, page 55c, Chronicle,
19 August 1899, pages 16c-21a and
its opening in the Register,
30 September 1901, page 9a; also see Express,
9 May 1900, page 2b,
8 June 1900, page 2c, Observer,
5 October 1901, page 42e,Chronicle,
5 October 1901, page 34b.
Its closure is reported under the heading in the Register,
"A Fiasco in State Smelting" on
22 January 1902, page 4d.
Also see South Australia - Mining - Miscellany.

A proposed freezing works is discussed in the Register,
4 May 1894, page 7d; also see Observer,
13 July 1912, page 54b.

The public baths are discussed in the Register,
19 January 1911, page 9a, Observer,
15 June 1912, page 41e, Register,
26 July 1912, page 5d.
A photograph of a swimming club's clubhouse is in the Chronicle,
15 March 1934, page 38.

Augusta, Port

Camels and Donkeys

Camels and donkeys were imported in 1866 - see Register,
12 and 15 January, pages 2f and 2c,
24 June 1884, page 5a,
14 November 1885, page 5a and South Australia - Flora and Fauna - Camels.
On 19 November 1868, page 2e it is reported that:

The barque Kohinoor arrived... bringing a fresh importation of Arabs [sic] to take charge of the camels... Several of them visited the chapel during divine service and behaved themselves with the utmost decorum - a lesson, I should think, to a great number of their white brethren.

The arrival of Afghan camel attendants is reported in the Register,
19 December 1868, page 2e.

Plans and specifications are in the Register,
10 August 1877, page 5e; also see
6 October 1877, page 4f,
18 January 1878, page 5e.

A history of the railway is in the Register,
19 January 1878, page 5d; also see
21 January 1878, page 4e,
30 May 1878, page 4d,
20 June 1878 (supp.), page 2e.

The route of the railway is traversed and described in the Register,
7 February 1879, page 6a and
6 January 1880, page 5e.
A history of the railway to "Government Gums" appears on
20 May 1882 (supp.), page 1a.

Reminiscences of the construction of the line to Farina are in the Register,
6 November 1922, page 10e,
4 December 1922, page 11d.

Information on railway lines within the town is in the Observer,
9 August 1879, page 5d.

"The Port Augusta and Government Gums Railway" is in the Chronicle,
17, 24 and 31 December 1881, pages 21e, 6c and 5f,
7 January 1882, page 18c;
these articles also describe towns and country en route.

Photographs of the turning of the first sod on the East-West line are in the Observer,
10 August 1912, page 30,
14 and 21 September 1912, pages 30-31 and 4-5 (supp.), Chronicle,
21 September 1912, page 34; also see
5 June 1915, page 30 and South
Australia - Transport - Railways - Miscellany.

Augusta, Port

The Town and Harbour

The government schooner Yatala (Captain Dowsett) sailed from Port Adelaide on 6 May 1852 with A.L. Elder, MLC, John Grainger, MLC, one sapper and one assistant as passengers. On Friday, 21 May, Messrs Elder, Grainger, Peters, Henderson and Harris went ashore to form a township and find a place to build a wool store, but apparently without success, as they sailed further up the gulf. The log for Sunday, 23 May, says:

Went on shore to first high land through a dense mangrove swamp. At 3 pm came aboard. Messrs Elder, Harris and Stuckey found a beach and deep water, hard ground appearing from the range to form a road down to the beach. Monday, 24 May - At 7.30 am manned the whaleboat, myself (Captain Dowsett), Messrs Elder, Grainger, Harris and Peters. Sailed up to Port Augusta and sounded the channel right to the landing place. Went on shore to look at a salt lake. Erected on the beacon a flagstaff. Gave cheers three times and three and named it Port Augusta. Came on board, made sail, and beat down the gulf...

"In the Early Days" is in the Register,
22 July 1912, page 9e, Observer,
27 July 1912, page 54d:

The town was surveyed in 1854 and sold on 17 August the same year. Shortly after the sale the schooner Bandicoot (Captain J. Hay) arrived with stores for Mr. Minchin, Protector of Aborigines, and anchored abreast of the present wharf. The captain had been instructed to find the site of the town and thereupon land his cargo. The Union Jack, attached to a stick, had been fastened to a large mangrove by the surveyors to indicate the spot. The flag had disappeared. The entire ship's company joined hand in hand and, in this manner, tramped along the beach and made incursions inland, searching for pegs. For three days they followed this course but found nothing. Captain Hay then landed and stacked the stores above high-water mark, securing them by a tarpaulin firmly weighted
and pegged down. Two or three of the crew walked a distance of five miles to the wells, just before completed by Mr. Minchin, but found the place deserted...

The Register of 8 July 1854, page 2g has some informative notes on the Port, while on
21 September 1854 the same newspaper at page 2e has particulars of the sale of town allotments and describes the surrounding district.

"The Crossing Place at the Head of the Gulf" is in the Register,
24 August 1867, page 2f.

A jetty is reported upon in the Register,
8 October 1856, page 2h.
Information on jetty tolls is in the Register,
11 May 1880, page 5b.
The sale of a wharf is reported in the
24 April 1896, page 6c.

An early photograph of the Dover Castle Hotel is in the Observer,
5 October 1912, page 31.

A meeting held to discuss the ferry service is reported in the Register,
21 March 1877, page 5a; also see
28 March 1877, page 5g.

Dredging operations are described in the Register,
26 September 1879 (supp.), page 4a.

"The Entrance to Port Augusta" is in the Chronicle,
27 September 1879, page 3e,
"New Wharfs at Port Augusta" on
1 May 1880, page 25e,Register,
30 April 1880, pages 3d-5b.

Information on jetty tolls is in the Register,
11 May 1880, page 5b.

Details of wharf accommodation and the owners of same are recorded in the Register,
27 July 1880, page 6a; also see
3, 23 and 24 April 1896, pages 4h, 6c and 6c.

A proposed bridge over the gulf is reported in the Observer,
31 July 1880, page 189c,
14 August 1880, page 272d,
10 September 1881, page 31a.

Reminiscences of Thomas Burgoyne are in the Register, on
10 June 1907, page 7a, Also see Place Names - Burgoyne, Hundred of
N.A Richardson on
5 August 1921, page 8e,
W.J. Whitters on
15 and 21 November 1921, pages 9d and 3g; also see
26 December 1927, page 7g.

The reminiscences of James Bryant are in the Observer,
16 January 1915, page 24e.

"Jubilee Recalls its Ups and Downs" is in The Mail,
21 November 1925, page 17b.

The reminiscences of ex-Inspector C. LeLievre are in the Observer,
21 November 1925, page 18a.
Also see South Australia - Police.

"Disabilities of Port Augusta" is in the Register,
12 August 1926, page 2f; also see
2 November 1926, page 6,
14 December 1926, page 12a,
29 December 1926, page 7f,
13 and 28 February 1928, pages 14g and 6c.

Early historical information on the town and district is in the Observer,
3 March 1928, page 50a.

Information on its water supply is in the Register,
18 May 1858, page 2f,
28 June 1858, page 2f,
25 November 1861, page 3c; also see
30 May 1862, page 2d,
11 September 1862, page 3a;
Parliamentary Paper 106/1862 which has further details of it about to be obtained from a spring at Wollondunga (sic) having a capacity of 12,000 gallons in 24 hours. Register,
23 October 1865, page 3d,
21 November 1865, page 3g.
See Place Names - Woolundunga.

Bridging Spencer Gulf is discussed in the Register,
3 September 1926, pages 8e-10e.
Its opening is reported on
7 July 1927, page 13a.
Photographs and information are in the Chronicle,
2 April 1927, page 39,
9 July 1927, page 46a,
16 September 1927, page 38.

"High Tides Invades Homes" is in the Advertiser,
10 December 1934, page 9c.